Stephon Marcus Beck, a 21-year-old African American man, was shot and killed in the South Austin neighborhood of Chicago on February 19, 2022. Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert about 9:15 p.m. and found Beck lying in the 5400 block of West Walton Street with a gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to Stroger Hospital in critical condition and died shortly thereafter.

The initial investigation produced no immediate suspects or arrests, and the case remained active as investigators sought leads. Later developments in the probe linked the killing to an alleged murder-for-hire scheme involving multiple defendants and drew federal attention. Beck’s death highlighted the toll of gun violence on Chicago neighborhoods and left his family and community seeking answers.

Did anyone in South Austin or Roseland know Stephon or see anything that night that could help investigators?